Vanderbilt changed the conversation around running back Dwight Phillips Jr., because Georgia didn't merely get a productive game from Phillips. It showed how many different ways Mike Bobo can use him.
Phillips' line for the day against the Commodores: 75 receiving yards (including a 30-yard grab), 27 rushing yards, and a touchdown. The week prior against Oklahoma, Phillips rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown and had one catch for 7 yards out of the backfield.
It's so simple that it's not. If Mike Bobo wants Alabama accounting for every inch of the field on Saturday, Phillips needs to be a significant part of the plan on as many snaps as possible.
Dwight Phillips gives Georgia something Alabama has to account for everywhere
Phillips isn't just "another running back"; he's one of Georgia's most versatile weapons. Think back to Isaiah McKenzie (aka: The Human Joystick) from 2014-16. He could be found all over the field and was used effectively as a running back, receiver, and kick returner. That's the kind of versatility Dwight Phillips can bring.
He can line up in the backfield, catch the ball, get touches in space, and potentially force Alabama to reveal how it intends to defend him. Once Bama's defense shows its hand, Mike Bobo and Gunner Stockton can go to work.
If Georgia can show similar personnel while doing completely different things with Phillips, Alabama can't simply key in on Frazier, Bowens, or Stockton. Simply put, when Phillips is on the field, Alabama has more options to defend.
Vanderbilt showed Mike Bobo how dangerous Phillips can be
Alabama already knows Phillips can carry the football. They've seen it before. But those 75 receiving yards against Vanderbilt give Alabama DC Kane Wommack something else to think about. Phillips can line up in several spots and be used as either a receiver or tailback -- and hurt you with either one.
It's his ability to hurt a defense without taking a traditional handoff that makes the matchup interesting... or petrifying if you're Alabama.
Vanderbilt was essentially the proof of concept. Georgia now has film showing opponents that Phillips can't simply be treated as a runner; you have to respect his ability to catch the ball. And if he gets into space, watch out, because few people are going to catch his 4.28 speed.
That also creates opportunities elsewhere. If a linebacker or safety becomes preoccupied with Phillips, that's potentially one less defender focused on Georgia's tight ends, receivers, or Stockton as a runner.
Georgia shouldn't make life easy for Alabama, Phillips can help
Alabama will likely spend the week preparing for Stockton, Frazier/Bowens, and Georgia's conventional offense. Phillips allows Bobo to make that preparation more complicated and much less predictable.
Motion him. Throw to him. Hand it to him. Use him as a decoy. Put him on the field alongside another back. Hand it to him on a reverse or jet sweep.
Phillips doesn't necessarily need 20 touches, but Alabama should have to worry about him getting the ball on every snap that he's on the field.
Georgia doesn't need Phillips to produce another 100-plus scrimmage yards for the plan to work. His value against Alabama could come from forcing defenders to hesitate, creating favorable matchups elsewhere, and occasionally turning one touch into an explosive play.
It's all in the gamesmanship. Play 4D chess while Alabama looks like they're trying to figure out the rules of Tic-Tac-Toe.
Vanderbilt showed what Phillips can do when Georgia gets creative with him. Against Alabama, Bobo doesn't necessarily need more touches for Phillips. He needs more ways to make the Crimson Tide wonder where the next one is coming from.
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